A resident of the Orange City School District has submitted a petition requesting that the district add the religious holidays of the Lunar New Year, Diwali and Eid al-Fitr to the school calendar as days off for students each year.
Mehr Khan, a resident of the Orange City School District, shows a petition to the Orange Board of Education Monday that was signed by more than 350 people who are requesting that the district add the religious holidays of the Lunar New Year, Diwali and Eid al-Fitr to the school calendar as days off for students each year.
PEPPER PIKE, Ohio -- A resident of the Orange City School District has submitted a petition requesting that the district add the religious holidays of the Lunar New Year, Diwali and Eid al-Fitr to the school calendar as days off for students each year. On Monday , Mehr Khan of Moreland Hills told the Orange Board of Education that she had a petition signed by more than 350 people who live in the district or “surrounding areas” who support this initiative. She said she emailed the petition with the signatures to Superintendent Lynn Campbell, who said he had received the email. “We are advocates for inclusion of multiple holidays and are representing hundreds of families and students in the Orange School District who celebrate the Lunar New Year, Diwali and Eid,” Khan said.“Orange is a diverse and vibrant community,” she said. “We proudly celebrate holidays like Christmas, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Easter with our neighbors. “We ask for the same recognition and respect for the holidays that are meaningful to our families: the Lunar New Year, Diwali and Eid.” The Lunar New Year marks the start of the new year on the traditional lunar calendar, primarily celebrated in East Asia. Diwali is the Hindu “Festival of Lights,” symbolizing the victory of good over evil and often marking the new year.“Recognizing these holidays validates the identities and contributions of our students to this community and promotes a sense of belonging and engagement,” Khan said. “Inclusive school calendars have been shown to increase student engagement and attendance, reduce bullying and foster social empathy, respect and cross-cultural understanding.” Khan noted that three neighboring districts -- Beachwood, Solon and Twinsburg -- have added all three of these holidays as days off for students, “setting a precedent for the inclusion of these holidays.” “Let this board be the one to leave a legacy to respectfully recognize the Lunar New Year, Diwali and Eid on the school calendar, making it a holiday for the entire district so we can celebrate together,” she said. “Let’s be leaders in inclusion and equity and let’s ensure every student feels seen, heard, respected and celebrated. “We are ready and willing to collaborate with the board and the administration to make this a reality.” The Beachwood City School District has added the Lunar New Year, Diwali and Eid al-Fitr as school holidays to its academic calendar, starting with the 2023-24 school year, to reflect the district’s diversity, said Gregory Murphy, director of communications. The Solon School District began giving students those days off as holidays starting with the 2024-25 academic year. Fred Bolden, superintendent of Solon City Schools, said in December 2023 that the decision was made to add these holidays to the calendar to better represent “the large and growing population” of families in the district who observe them. The academic calendar on the Twinsburg School District’s website indicates that students get Diwali and Eid al-Fitr off during the 2025-26 school year, but it does not indicate that they get the Lunar New Year off. “In the past 100 years, Orange has celebrated a diverse community, and we celebrated 100 years,” Khan said, referring to the district’s centennial celebration last fall. She noted that the district hosts an International Night -- a celebration of the district’s diversity -- each year at Moreland Hills Elementary School that has reportedly led to “exponential increases in attendance, demonstrating that our school district yearns for their children to be seen, respected and validated.” But this night and Flag Day are the only two days of the school year in which students who observe these holidays are recognized, she said. Per its policy for public participation, the board did not respond to Khan’s comments, other than board President Jeffrey Leikin asking if Campbell had received a copy of the petition with the signatures.If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our
Orange-City-School-District Orange-Board-Of-Education Pepper-Pike Religious-Holidays Mehr-Khan Moreland-Hills Lunar-New-Year Diwali Eid-Al-Fitr Lynn-Campbell East-Asia Hindu Festival-Of-Lights Islamic-Holiday Ramadan Beachwood Beachwood-City-School-District Solon Solon-City-School-District Twinsburg Twinsburg-City-School-District Gregory-Murphy Fred-Bolden Centennial-Celebration International-Night Moreland-Hills-Elementary-School Jeffrey-Leikin @Lll Section:/Community
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